Starmer backs down, and accepts parliament’s ISC will play role in pre-release Mandelson files vetting
Lindsay Hoyle says the manuscript amendment, which has been tabled by the PM, has been accepted. (See 3.50pm.) He says a minister will formally move it in the winding up speech.
That means MPs will definitely vote on the amendment. As a Labour amendment, it should be passed easily.
When Alex Burghart was opening the debate, he indicated that the Tories would accept it. At PMQs Kemi Badenoch also floated the idea. (See 12.16pm.) She said:
If the prime minister is serious about national security concerns, he should ask the intelligence and security committee to decide which documents should be released. Will he commit to doing so here and now?
But not all MPs will be happy about this. In the Commons a few minutes ago Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader how is now a Your Party MP, said he would vote for the original Tory motion. He suggested he was not happy about the ISC compromise proposals, which he argued could lead to a hold-up in the release of material.
Key events
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Met says it has asked No 10 not to release ‘certain documents’ about Mandelson because it could ‘undermine investigation’
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ISC will ‘act independently’ when it decides what to do about Mandelson material No 10 wants to hold back, MPs told
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‘Kemi is calling the shots,’ Tories claim, after PM backs her call for ISC to play role in pre-release Mandelson files vetting
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Scottish government orders reviews of its dealings with Mandelson to assess potential risks
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Starmer backs down, and accepts parliament’s ISC will play role in pre-release Mandelson files vetting
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Labour’s Paula Barker says she is ‘ashamed’ of government amendment tabled today
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Ministers under pressure to accept last-minute amendment saying ISC should have final say over Mandelson files vetting
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Speaker tells MPs Mandelson debate will end at 7pm, not 4pm as originally planned
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Labour MP Polly Billington says ‘propriety of public life’ on the line in this debate
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Speaker tells MPs that rule about not discussing royals in debate no longer covers Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
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Labour MPs say they will vote down plan to limit Mandelson disclosures
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Thomas-Symonds says government intends to start disclosing Mandelson documents ‘today’
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Speaker suggests MPs could be allowed to vote on last-minute amendment saying ISC should vet Mandelson files for release
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Treasury committee chair Meg Hillier joins those saying ISC should be allow to vet Mandelson material for release
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Thomas-Symonds resists Tory call for government to pull its amendment inserting exclusions to disclosure order
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Thomas-Symonds says government will consider call for ISC to take over document vetting role
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Angela Rayner backs Tory calls for intelligence and security committee to decide what Mandelson files released
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Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds responds to Tories in Mandelson debate
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Shadow minister Alex Burghart suggests intelligence and security committee should get to decide what Mandelson material released
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Tories says claims Epstein was Russian asset ‘must be investigated’
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MPs debate Tory motion calling for release of files relating to Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador
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PMQs – snap verdict
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Starmer sidesteps question about whether he agrees with Polish PM about Epstein being possible Russian spy
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Starmer confirms he still has confidence in Morgan McSweeney
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Starmer confirms he knew, when appointing Mandelson ambassador, he had remained friends with Epstein after his conviction
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Starmer does not deny knowing that Mandelson stayed friends with Epstein after his first child sex conviction
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Starmer says Mandelson has been stripped of role as privy counsellor
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Starmer faces Badenoch at PMQs
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Lee Anderson dismisses evidence Reform UK’s pub plan ‘doesn’t add up’, telling BBC he’s ‘not interested’ in debating costings
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Tories says national security exemption to Mandelson files release should not be used to protect PM from embarrassment
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Labour MP Andy McDonald says he may vote with Tories against PM’s exemptions to Mandelson files release order
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Starmer should not use ‘international relations’ exemption as excuse for Mandelson files ‘cover-up’, SNP says
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Starmer says his brother’s death from cancer ‘hit me like a bus’ as he promotes national cancer plan
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Streeting says Labour members feel ‘bitterly’ betrayed by Mandelson
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Three-quarters of cancer patients in England will survive by 2035, government pledges
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PM agrees to release some files on Mandelson appointment
The cabinet office minister, Chris Ward, has insisted that the prime minister “acted” when “new information came to light” about Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Ward told the Commons: “It’s clear from all sides of the House today that they share the public’s anger at Mandelson’s treachery, his lies and his deceit.
“As the prime minister said earlier, Mandelson betrayed this country. He lied to the prime minister. He lied during the vetting process, which I will return to because a number of members raised it. Frankly, I suspect he’s still lying now.
“That’s why, since new information came to light, the prime minister over the weekend has acted in a number of ways.”
He also cited Keir Starmer instructing the cabinet secretary to investigate all papers released by the US Department of Justice, the government referred material to the police and since then the Met have launched an investigation.
Ward added Mandelson wouldn’t have come “within a million miles of government” if the PM knew now what he claims that he didn’t know when he appointed him in 2024.
Rowena Mason
Nigel Farage’s two-day trip to Davos cost more than £50,000 after he was given two guest passes by an Iranian-born billionaire, documents show.
The Reform UK leader officially declared his attendance at the conference on the register of MPs’ interests, after giving speeches at the Switzerland summit in which he pledged to “put the global elites on notice”.
Despite previously having dismissed the World Economic Forum as a jaunt for “globalists”, Farage also accepted £1,100 of luxury hotel accommodation from the conference organisers.
The Guardian revealed last month that Farage had his trip to Davos paid for by Sasan Ghandehari, which the Reform UK leader refused to confirm at the time. He was registered at the forum under the banner of HP Trust, which is the family office of Ghandehari and describes itself as having a portfolio value in excess of $10bn (£7.4bn).
HP Trust said Farage was an honorary and unpaid adviser since about 2018, but the Reform UK leader disputes that he has ever worked for them and declared no role for the firm on the register.
Neha Gohil
Neha Gohil is a Guardian Midlands correspondent.
Labour MP Matt Bishop told the Guardian he was still unsure whether he would be voting with the government despite the amendment in place that parliament’s intelligence and security committee will play a role in the vetting of files related to Peter Mandelson. He said:
I’m still not there yet. I think there needs to be more … I will seriously consider still voting against the government. I just need to see and understand a little bit more first.
Bishop, the MP for Forest of Dean, said he wanted to see the government acknowledging the victims of Epstein more than they have so far. He said he told Labour whips beforehand that he would walk out of the chamber if victims of Epstein were not mentioned by the government.
“I want to see what we are going to do to give victims the confidence,” he said, adding that he is pushing for the Violence Against Women strategy to be implemented as soon as possible.
The MP described how Labour colleagues who had been “extremely loyal” to the government and had never opposed the Starmer administration were now “voicing concerns”. He said: “There’s anger across the house from all angles.”
Earlier, Bishop told the House he “can not in good faith support a position that risks further eroding trust in our commitment to justice.”
“Not because it’s politically convenient to me, but because it’s morally necessary, I am voting with the victims”, he added.
Met says it has asked No 10 not to release ‘certain documents’ about Mandelson because it could ‘undermine investigation’
Andrew Sparrow
Here is the full quote from Cmdr Ella Marriott from the Metropolitan police saying the Met has asked No 10 not to release some of the Mandelson files. (See 6.14pm.)
She said:
As with any investigation, securing and preserving any potential evidence is vital. For this reason, when approached by the UK government today with their intent to publish material, we reviewed it immediately and advised that the release of specific documents could undermine our current investigation.
We therefore asked them not to release certain documents at this time. Going forward as material is made available to us, and if we identify further documents that we believe could prejudice our investigation, we will continue to ask the government to pause their release until such time as the risk of prejudice no longer exists.
The integrity of our investigation is paramount to securing justice. We are grateful for their cooperation. We continue to assess all relevant information brought to our attention as part of this investigation.
That is all from me for today. Nadeem Badshah is taking over now.
In the Commons Alicia Kearns (Con) is speaking now. She starts by quoting from the “fresh, firm and creamy” Epstein email quoted earlier. (See 3.02pm.) She said this may not have been known when Peter Mandelson was appointed ambassador. But it was known that he had stayed at Epstein’s house, after Epstein had been convicted for child sex offences, when he was business secretary. (See 1.01pm.)
This is from PA Media.
The Metropolitan police has asked the government not to release “certain documents” relating to Jeffrey Epstein because it could “undermine our current investigation”, Cmdr Ella Marriott, from the force, has said.
Jeremy Corbyn, the Your Party MP and former Labour leader, told Sky News that he wanted a public inquiry into Peter Mandelson. Explaining why he was not happy about the plan for the intelligence and security committee to review Mandelson material being held back, he said:
I don’t think the political establishment in Westminster or the senior echelons of the civil service can be trusted to undertake the kind of inquiry that’s necessary in these circumstances – because the web of Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein goes very wide.
I don’t think merely putting all this into the hands of a security intelligence committee is good enough. I don’t agree with that at all.
He also said that one issue he would like an inquiry to consider were the “strong suggestions that Mandelson was involved in negotiating favours on behalf of various businesses trying to access our health service”.
This was a reference to the contract that Palantir has to provide data services to the NHS.
Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, has also attacked the Palantir deal, claiming that Mandelson was involved. Today he published an open letter to Wes Streeting urging him to rip up the contract. And he asked for an explanation as what role Mandelson played in it. He said:
Mandelson’s malign influence runs right through the heart of this government and the decisions it has made. There are worrying questions to answer about his role in the government’s deal with Palantir – a spy-tech firm co-founded by a man who thinks the NHS should be ‘ripped up.’
Was the government’s decision to trust this controversial company with British people’s most sensitive and personal health data made on the basis of what’s best for our country – or was it yet another dodgy backroom deal brokered by Mandelson for the benefit of his rich pals?
John McDonnell asked a follow-up after hearing Wright. He said he wanted an assurance that the government would not be able to stop the intelligence and security committee from publishing any of the Mandelson material it reviews.
Caroline Nokes, the deputy speaker, said that would be a matter for the minister to address when winding up.
ISC will ‘act independently’ when it decides what to do about Mandelson material No 10 wants to hold back, MPs told
In the Commons the Labour MP John McDonnell is asking for clarity about the new amendment tabled by the government.
On a point of order, he asks if it means that the intelligence and security committee will have the power to publish the Mandelson files that get referred to it because the Cabinet Office has deemed them “prejudicial to UK national security or international relations”. Or will it just have the right to read them?
Jeremy Wright, the Tory former attorney general and former culture secretary, who is deputy chair of the intelligence and security committee, uses a point of order to respond.
He says the committee is independent. He says it will review the papers it gets and decide what to do about that material. It will “act independently, consider the material referred to it and then decide how to respond, what to refer to publicly and what not to refer to publicly”.
‘Kemi is calling the shots,’ Tories claim, after PM backs her call for ISC to play role in pre-release Mandelson files vetting
Kiran Stacey
Kiran Stacey is the Guardian’s policy editor.
Conservative sources have confirmed they will back the government’s amendment to the motion on Peter Mandelson, which gives extra oversight power to parliament’s intelligence committee.
The Tories say the government’s mid-afternoon U-turn meant the prime minister now agreed with the Tory leader Kemi Badenoch. (See 4.14pm.)
A spokesperson added:
The government have now had to cave to Kemi’s demand for all documents to go to the ISC. Starmer is no longer in control, Kemi is calling the shots.
Scottish government orders reviews of its dealings with Mandelson to assess potential risks
A bit more now on that investigation into Scottish government dealings with Peter Mandelson.
A Scottish government spokesperson said John Swinney welcomed the probe and that it wouldd assess any associated risks.
They said:
The first minister welcomes the full investigation by all appropriate authorities, including the Metropolitan Police and UK government, into the actions of Peter Mandelson.
The first minister has asked the permanent secretary to commission an investigatory audit of records to identify any meetings, government papers or correspondence involving Peter Mandelson during his time as a member or representative of the UK government.
This will enable the Scottish government to assess any associated risks.
Tory Esther McVey has described the Mandelson scandal as the “crumbling of Starmer” and has called into question his judgment on other issues, such as the Chagos Islands.
She was speaking in response to as speech by fellow Conservative Christopher Chope, who recounted his dealings with Mandelson in the late 1990s.
Reform’s Rupert Lowe intervenes to make use of the debate to thank Elon Musk and the social media network X “for exposing a great deal of this evil” to retorts of “shame” across the benches.
Andy McDonald said he had “lingering concerns” about the process of releasing documents relating to Mandelson’s appointment despite a government climbdown.
The Labour MP criticised the “appalling failure of judgment” in appointing the peer, telling the Press Association:
I think many of us have still got lingering concerns, firstly about the international relations issue, that could mean anything.
He added that the Intelligence and Security Committee must be “rigorous” in its approach, adding:
You’re still in the situation where the government and No 10 have got to be candid about what it releases.
You’ve got to have a healthy degree of circumspection.
He said he thought it was “reasonable to expect an answer pretty damn quick” on how Mandelson passed vetting. “It beggars belief that we could ever get a security vetting process that would sign off affirmatively on somebody in these circumstances,” he said.
Asked about Keir Starmer’s own judgment given what was already in the public domain about Mandelson, McDonald said:
I think that this is an appalling failure of judgment.
McDonald indicated he would back the new amendment “reluctantly” while stressing the need for “full disclosure.”
Conservative Luke Evans, MP for Hinckley and Bosworth, tells the Commons he is “simply asking was [the prime minister] warned before he wheeled through the trojan horse that is Mandelson into government”.
He says the reason MPs are asking for further details is to better understand what advice was given to Keir Starmer.
“Yet again we are spending parliamentary time about whether there will be more information released, which [Starmer] knows himself,” he says, adding that the prime minister should have attended to answer questions on the issue.
Fellow Tory Stuart Anderson asks Evans if he agrees with him that Starmer’s position is “untenable”, which he says he does agree with.
John Swinney has ordered an investigation into his government’s dealings with Peter Mandelson to see if the “interests of Scotland have been undermined”.
Mandelson, who resigned from the House of Lords this week after more revelations about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein were revealed, is currently under police investigation over alleged misconduct in public office.
Speaking to ITV Border on Wednesday, Scotland’s first minister questioned Keir Starmer’s judgment in appointing Mandelson to the role of ambassador to the US, given his friendship with Epstein was already known. Swinney said he had instructed the country’s top civil servant to launch an investigation.
“What I’m now concerned about is that now we know there’s information about the supply of material by Peter Mandelson in the financial crash to Jeffrey Epstein, I’m now concerned about the implications of that for Scotland,” he said.
In the Commons debate, Your Party MP Zarah Sultana says Peter Mandelson was “besties with a convicted nonce” and criticises the way he was “rehabilitated” and brought back into the fold by Labour leader Keir Starmer.
She says the scandal has only come to light because of the files being released in the US and that there is no record of his emails in the UK.
“When ordinary people make mistakes, they pay the price … but if you belong to the Westminster club, you can be linked to one of the most notorious predators of our time and still reach the top,” she says.
She gives way to Lib Dem MP Vikki Slade, who says if Mandelson did leak market-sensitive information to Epstein, “we have all paid the price”.
Andrew Sparrow
This is from the Times’ Aubrey Allegretti, who says Labour MPs are furious. And he says some of them are gunning for Morgan McSweeney, the PM’s chief of staff, who is blamed for persuading Keir Starmer to
More reaction coming through…
Minister: “PMQs made things worse. People [are] really upset.”
A second minister on McSweeney: “He has to go.”
Labour MP and Starmer loyalist: “Inexplicable PMQs today. This has an end of days feel.”
Another backer of the PM: “Fucking car crash.”
MP and ally of Rayner: “Morgan is finished.”
McSweeney’s position has not been helped by this story just published by Catherine Neilan at the Observer. She says:
Morgan McSweeny sought official advice over whether Peter Mandelson, who resigned from the Lords this week in disgrace, could be the UK’s ambassador to the US and chancellor of the University of Oxford at the same time, sources have claimed …
Senior government sources told The Observer that McSweeney asked Cabinet Office officials for advice as to whether Mandelson could carry out the two roles – based thousands of miles apart – simultaneously. McSweeney questioned whether the US ambassador role could be carried out on a part-time basis.
Officials “had to explain that being his majesty’s ambassador in Washington was a full-time job… in Washington”, said one person close to the matter. Another source said that the query was made at Mandelson’s behest.
Tom Ambrose is now taking over the blog for a bit.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/feb/04/peter-mandelson-files-us-ambassador-jeffrey-epstein-keir-starmer-tories-uk-politics-live-news-updates
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